Falling for a Superhero

Chapter Ten-"I Pledge Allegiance to...Anyone but The Proliator"

Wednesday: Dastan ignored me. Hayden ate lunch with me, somehow managing not to get his butt kicked by a pissed off Nik. Not only was Nik mad, but so was Dastan. He and Hayden had an even more intense argument than when he offered to drive me home. Whatever, though. I've accepted that Dastan and I will never be friends.

Thursday (today): The same thing happened, only Hayden took me out to eat. The pep rally was scheduled for after school. Since Mrs. Hayes was so impressed with my pictures on me and Dast-my article, she wanted me to take pictures at the pep rally and football game to help out the partners that were focused on sports. But, of course, I had to borrow a camera from...Dastan.

I finally found him after school in the Journalism room, alone.

"Mrs. Hayes said I could use your camera," I told him as he was logging off the computer.

"Fine," he said, avoiding eye contact. I expected no words and a crappy toss of the camera to me in order for me to drop it and be stuck with expenses and ridicule, but he actually answered and placed the strap over my head and collected his things to leave. Yup. That's how we were now.

He did whatever he wanted to. And I just did what I was required to, even if that meant associating with him. Hayden taught-or rather reminded me-to be the person that didn't hold a grudge over someone who had no chance at resolving our problems. Although I tried to kill him with kindness most of the time (except when he was with Mickie), I couldn't help but notice that he wasn't a hopeless jerk when no one was around. Why?

"Wait," I had, for some reason, called after him. He stopped in his tracks and turned to me with a foreign sort of look that I hadn't seen on his face before. Maybe...sadness? Remorse? A human conscience? "Why aren't we friends?"

He opened his mouth as if he already had the perfect answer to that, but his only response was: "Have fun at the pep rally. Be careful on your way home," completely avoiding my question.

***

I went to the pep rally, taking excellent pictures of the Freshmen and JV football team that played beforehand-yes, of actual events and not Hayden's silly faces-without getting carried off by the running back, Hayden Marshal, himself. I know that Hayden would offer to give me a ride home, but in his time-consuming social life, I decided to walk.

However, when I passed the first alleyway off the main road past the school's block, I noticed a group of guys. Half of them were on their knees with painted chests and blind folds. They were also wrapped in plastic wrap. With the three Greek letter jackets, I knew that the three standing men were hazing the other three. The things people do to get into fraternities...

"Hey, stop that!" I said, jogging over and already trying to pry the plastic wrap from the pledges' sweaty and iridescent chests. One of the members pushed me back though. That's when my hand and lower arm smashed down onto shards of glass. I looked down as I hissed in pain and then realized that it was a broken beer bottle that matched a dozen others that were still together in an arrangement on the ground by a funnel and a curled tube. Shit. I was in trouble. And just my luck that I hadn't brought my phone.

"Pledges, what was the first rule of your initiation?" the one that pushed me asked them as the other two unfolded the pledges' blindfolds.

"No strings attached," they chanted. I turned up my nose and was completely confused. The guy that pushed me, opened a can of beer, took a sip, threw most of it on the pledges and then smashed it into the nearest wall.

"So who's goddamn girlfriend is this!?"

He thought that I was saving them because I was in a relationship with them? The pledges started denying my existence-which was their honest right-and the main leader started asking for a paddle as I held my wrist and hoped my arm would stop bleeding.